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Why His Candidate Didn’t Win
At the recently held Anambra General elections, the incumbent governor, Prof. Charles Soludo swept the polls, with the APC candidate coming a distant 2nd.
The Labour Party and the ADC didn’t do too well at all.
Many had thought that Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, who hails from Anambra would have made a great showing in his constituency, even if his candidate George Moghalu didn’t win, but that was not the case. Obi lost woefully. He couldn’t deliver his constituency for the candidate he supported.
Before the election, he had come out to openly canvass for him. His Obidient Movement Worldwide group had also come out to support him. In one of the posts, Peter Obi said I will support my party’s candidate, George Moghalu despite not being my election, but my Conscience says so. However, the decision of who becomes the next Governor of the state lies solely on the shoulder of Anambarians (Ndi Anambra).
In defiance to the rain and bad street roads in Anambra, Peter Obi came out for a walk on the street, in solidarity for George Moghalu and the Obidients were there to give their unalloyed support for what it called this noble cause.
The Obidient Movement, a nationwide citizens platform dedicated to promoting good governance, transparency and the vision of Peter Obi for a new Nigeria supported Mr George Moghalu, who had been earlier endorsed by Peter Obi for the Anambra guber election.
On 21st October 2025, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Movement issued a press release to that effect.
Before this, on 17th October, 2025 at the George Moghalu Campaign Office at Udoka Estate, Dr. Tanko said let it be stated unequivocally that the Obidient family is fully on ground in every part of Anambra State.
“We have completed the inauguration of our Polling Unit Commanders across all polling units in the state totalling 5720. From Awka, Awkuzu to Nnewi and through every community, ward and village, our grassroots structures are alive, active and alert…Please be encouraged to come out and vote for George Moghalu. A vote for Moghalu is a vote for PO.”
So, with all these preparations, why didn’t Peter Obi’s candidate win?
Why did Peter Obi himself lose out at the last Anambra governorship election? So bad was the situation that Peter Obi’s Labour Party lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his own polling unit in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area. During the Anambra governorship election. Obi’s party, Labour Party, polled 57 votes, while APC’s Nicholas Ukachukwu secured 73 votes.
The Obidient Movement’s National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, explained that Peter Obi didn’t really lose since he wasn’t on the ballot, so his loss shouldn’t be seen as a reflection of his popularity. Tanko emphasized that Obi supported George Moghalu, the Labour Party candidate, and campaigned for him, but Moghalu lost the election.
Some possible reasons for the loss have been adduced. They include:
Voter apathy: Low voter turnout, with only about 500,000 votes cast out of 2 million registered voters.
Vote buying: Allegations of widespread vote buying and intimidation.
Shifting voter dynamics: Changing voter loyalty and growing opposition in Anambra.
The APC has mocked Obi’s loss, calling it a rejection of his “Obidient movement.” However, Tanko insists that Obi’s influence remains strong, citing his enduring popularity in Lagos and Anambra.
Some have argued that Peter Obi is no longer strong politically in Anambra
Apart from the election issue, he usually doesn’t get involved in Anambra politics.
They say Peter Obi tends to focus on broader national issues and has maintained a level of detachment from local Anambra politics, except when it directly impacts his party or national agenda. His recent involvement in the Anambra governorship election was largely centered around supporting his party’s candidate and highlighting concerns about electoral integrity.
But politicians usually say All politics is local, Has that view changed? The phrase “all politics is local” suggests that politicians’ success often depends on their connection to local issues and voters. While Peter Obi’s focus on national issues resonates with some, his detachment from local Anambra politics might have contributed to his party’s loss in the governorship election. Local connections and grassroots engagement are crucial in Nigerian politics, and Obi’s approach might not have resonated with local voters in Anambra.
The Labour Party’s performance in Anambra has been weak, evident from the recent governorship election where they came 4th with only 10,576 votes. Several factors contributed to this outcome:
Internal conflicts: Labour Party faced factional battles and leadership disputes, leading to parallel candidates and voter confusion.
Lack of grassroots engagement: The party focused on national narratives rather than local issues, limiting their connection with voters.
Weak campaign structure: Labour Party struggled with logistics, funding, and mobilization, particularly in rural areas.
These challenges highlight the party’s struggles in Anambra, indicating they have a long way to go in rebuilding their strength.
The Lagos State Chapter of the APC says its happy at Peter Obi’s loss.
“The Lagos State Chapter of the (APC) responds with justified satisfaction to what it described as the earth-shaking news from Anambra that Peter Obi has lost his own polling unit to the APC.
“It is a public humiliation and the loudest confirmation yet that the so-called “Obidient Movement” is nothing more than a political hologram- bright on social media, empty in real life wrote Mogaji Seye Oladejo, the Publicity Secretary of Lagos APC.”
“Today, the people who know Peter Obi best- his neighbours, his own community, his supposed natural base- have delivered an unmistakable judgment”.
“We reject you. We don’t trust you. We have seen through you.”
For years, Obi built his brand on self-righteous monologues, manufactured statistics, emotional manipulation, and a carefully cultivated aura of victimhood. He weaponized ignorance and sentiment to mislead the youth, pretending to be Nigeria’s political saviour while lacking the basic capacity to win at home”.
“A man who cannot win his polling unit has no business dreaming of winning a country”.
“A man who is rejected on his street cannot claim nationwide acceptance.
“A man whose strongest base has crumbled cannot sell the lie of a national movement”.
“This defeat marks the complete disintegration of the myth around Peter Obi”.
“And to compound the embarrassment, we sincerely hope Mr. Obi will not run to beg for foreign intervention to rescue him from this political free fall, as he has unashamedly attempted in recent times. Nigeria’s democracy is not a toy for desperate politicians seeking sympathy abroad after being rejected at home”.
While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is rebuilding institutions, fixing the economy, expanding infrastructure, attracting foreign investments, and restoring global confidence, Peter Obi is busy granting contradictory interviews, seeking international validation, and hiding behind hashtags that collapse at the ballot box.
Reality has caught up with him.
“If Peter Obi cannot command trust in his polling unit, he should forget 2027. Nigerians will not hand over their destiny to a man whose own people have loudly withdrawn their confidence”.
“The APC’s victory in his unit is symbolic, conclusive, and prophetic.
“It reflects the national mood: performance is triumphing over propaganda; structure is defeating chaos; delivery is destroying deception.
Peter Obi should spare the nation further melodrama.
Let him first repair the political damage at his doorstep before pretending he can repair Nigeria.
The Lagos (APC) saluted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for once again proving why he remains the most credible defender of Nigeria’s democracy, by maintaining absolute neutrality, encouraging Rransparency, and refusing to interfere, the President has elevated his democratic credentials to a level the opposition can neither match nor comprehend.
According to the Lagos APC.
The Anambra Governorship Election has brutally exposed the hollow, paper-thin structure of the so-called “opposition coalition.” The election did not merely defeat them – it embarrassed them. It stripped them bare. It showed Nigerians that behind the noise lies a confused mass of political wanderers, competing egoists, and perpetual complainers masquerading as a coalition”.
“A group that cannot win together in a familiar backyard and a supposed stronghold should stop dreaming about winning anywhere else”.
“As the reality of imminent defeat became undeniable, Mr. Peter Obi quickly offered a face-saving excuse – that “all the candidates are my kins.”
“A convenient statement only discovered when the pendulum had swung violently away from him.
Nigerians can now clearly see through the theatrics. In fact, it is becoming obvious that Mr. Obi may have missed his true calling. His newly discovered comic talent will serve him well after 2027 when his political retirement becomes official and irreversible. Leadership requires seriousness, not sentimental monologues and emergency philosophies discovered at polling units.
For months, they advertised themselves as a tsunami. Anambra has now confirmed them as a puddle. Their so-called coalition is nothing more than a gathering of disgruntled political tourists united by bitterness, not vision; by frustration, not strategy; by hatred of progress, not love for Nigeria.
Nigerians are tired of their hypocrisy, their contradictions, and their endless excuses. A coalition that cannot mobilize its own base is not preparing for 2027 – it is preparing for political extinction.
The Anambra election is a warning shot to the opposition:
Your era of emotional blackmail is over. Nigerians now judge leaders by results, not rumours; by performance, not propaganda.
Whither the Coalition?
The answer is simple:
Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
The Anambra election has written the obituary of a coalition that never truly existed.
